NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE

ORCHID JOURNAL
Volume 8 2002

IN THIS ISSUE:
Revalidation of Platanthera conspicua
Corallorhiza maculata var. mexicana in the
Southwest?
Did You Ever? Wonders And Blunders
Two New Color Forms from the Midwestern
United States
Orchids of Northern Maine
and more…..
The North American Native Orchid Journal
(ISSN 1084-7332) is an annual publication
devoted to promoting interest and
knowledge of the native orchids of North
America. A limited number of the print
version of each issue of the Journal are
available upon request and electronic
versions are available to all interested
persons or institutions free of charge. The
Journal welcomes article of any nature that
deal with native or introduced orchids that
are found growing wild in North America,
primarily north of Mexico, although
articles of general interest concerning
Mexican species will welcome.

Requests for either print or electronic

copies should be sent to the editor:
Paul Martin Brown, 10896 SW 90th
Terrace, Ocala, FL 34481 or via email at
naorchid@aol.com.
NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE
ORCHID JOURNAL
Volume 8 2002
CONTENTS
NOTES FROM THE EDITOR
1
REVALIDATION OF
PLATANTHERA CONSPICUA, THE
SOUTHERN WHITE FRINGED
ORCHIS
Paul Martin Brown
3
CORALLORHIZA MACULATA VAR.
MEXICANA IN THE SOUTHWEST?
Ronald A. Coleman
17
DID YOU EVER? WONDERS AND
BLUNDERS
The Slow Empiricist
22
TWO NEW COLOR FORMS FROM
THE MIDWESTERN UNITED
STATES
Paul Martin Brown
30
 EVIDENCE FOR THE
REVALIDATION OF THE GENUS
GYMNADENIOPSIS RYDBERG
Paul Martin Brown
32
ORCHIDS OF NORTHERN MAINE
Olof O. Nylander
40
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
CONCERNING NORTH
AMERICAN ORCHIDS FOR 2002
66
Color Plates:
p. 69, pl. 1: Platanthera conspicua; Platanthera
blephariglottis
p. 70, pl. 2: Platanthera xlueri; Platanthera xbeckneri
p. 71, pl. 3: Cypripedium kentuckiense forma summersi;
Platanthera peramoena forma doddsiae
p. 72, pl. 4: Corallorhiza maculata var. mexicana;
Gymnadeniopsis clavellata; G. integra; G. nivea.
Photos by Paul Martin Brown unless otherwise credited.

All drawings in this issue are by Stan Folsom

The opinions expressed in the Journal are those of the
authors. Scientific articles may be subject to peer review
and popular articles will be examined for both accuracy
and scientific content.
Volume 8 pages 1-72; issued December 30, 2002.
Copyright 2002 by the
North American Native Orchid Alliance, Inc.
Cover: Platanthera peramoena by Stan Folsom
 NOTES FROM THE EDITOR

After an unfortunate lapse of several

months the Journal is now back on track with
an annual issue. I am unable to continue with
quarterly issues but will produce an annual
issue that will be usually be mailed in the
autumn of each year.

The length of the annual issue will vary

depending on the material that is submitted.
There is no limit on length, but it will all be in
one issue. Correspondence should be sent to the
editor, NANOJ 10896 SW 90th Terrace, Ocala,
Florida 34481 or, during the summer, to PO
Box 759, Acton, Maine 04001. Email remains
at naorchid@aol.com.

The Alliance will no longer be

organizing an annual North American Native
Orchid Conferences. For more information
about conferences see http://groups.yahoo.com
/group /nativeorchidconference/ or by emailing

1
them at ncorchid@yahoo.com. This group also
supports an email news group that offers
members the opportunity to exchange
information and questions. These conferences
are not affiliated with the North American
Native Orchid Alliance but have the full
support of the Alliance.

Paul Martin Brown, editor

December 2002

2
 REVALIDATION OF
PLATANTHERA CONSPICUA, THE
SOUTHERN WHITE FRINGED
ORCHIS
Paul Martin Brown

In the course of preparing the manuscript

for Wild Orchids of the Southeastern United
States it became apparent that plants currently
known as Platanthera blephariglottis var.
conspicua (Nash) Luer should be recognized at
the species level. Evidence is presented below
to support this. Both a new combination for the
species, as well as two new hybrid
combinations, are also needed.

Platanthera conspicua (Nash) P.M. Brown

comb. nov.
Basionym: Habenaria conspicua Nash, Bull.
Torrey Bot. Club 23: 100. 1896.
Synonyms: Blephariglottis conspicua (Nash)
Small, Fl. S. E. U.S. 313, 1329. 1903.

3
 Habenaria blephariglottis (Willdenow)
Hooker var. conspicua (Nash) Ames, Rhodora
10:70. 1908.
Platanthera blephariglottis (Willdenow)
Lindley var. conspicua (Nash) Luer, Native
Orchids of Florida, 40. 1972.

The fringed-lipped rein orchises,

Platanthera spp., are among our showiest
native orchids to be found in the eastern North
America. Whereas most of the species are
yellow/orange or purple in color, three species
are pure white - Platanthera blephariglottis, P.
conspicua, and P. integrilabia. Habenaria
blephariglottis was originally described from
Pennsylvania by Lindley in 1835, (Gen. Sp.
Orchid. Pl., 291.) and subsequently Nash, from
Florida, in 1896, described Habenaria
conspicua - a similar plant with a much longer
spur and fewer flowers, primarily from the
southeastern coastal plain. Small (1903) noted
that the range also included Kentucky and that
the lip was "sometimes nearly entire". This
latter description may very well apply to
Platanthera integrilabia.

For many years spur length, combined

with range, was considered the critical
character in differentiating Platanthera
blephariglottis and P. conspicua (as var.

4
conspicua). Close examination of the flowers
reveals several other differences, and more
importantly proves that spur length alone
should not be relied upon for identification.
Long spurred plants of P. blephariglottis occur
as far north on the Coastal Plain as Cape Cod,
Massachusetts, and plants from that region,
Long Island and New Jersey have often been
identified as the var. conspicua. In both
Massachusetts and New Jersey populations of
P. blephariglottis occurring well inland,
especially in the mountains, possess short
"normal" spurs. In addition P. conspicua was
considered the "southern variant" and all plants
of white fringed orchises from Virginia
southward were usually addressed as P.
blephariglottis var. conspicua. This
misunderstanding of spur length has led to the
erroneous publication in several recent orchid
works concerning the distribution of P.
conspicua. Brown, Wild Orchids of the
Northeastern United States (1997) and Bentley,
Native Orchids of the Southern Appalachians
(2000) clearly illustrate P. blephariglottis (var.
blephariglottis) although they are identified as
P. blephariglottis var. conspicua.

In his treatment of Platanthera

blephariglottis in the Orchidaceae of Flora
North America (2002) Sheviak has clarified the

5
distribution and states that "The widespread
Platanthera blephariglottis var. blephariglottis tends to
have a dense inflorescence of smaller flowers with the
descending to reflexed lips rather simply fringed (in
extreme cases scarcely more than deeply lacerate). In
contrast, the typically open, lax inflorescence of var.
conspicua bears larger flowers often with an exquisitely
elaborate filiform fringe on the porrect lips. Although
typical plants of the two varieties are quite distinctive,
most characters vary considerably within and between
the varieties and can be misleading. In contrast, spur
length seems to be unambiguous, and insofar as it
reflects specialization for different pollinators, upon
further study it may be shown to delimit distinct
species."

Close examination of the inflorescence

and flowers of Platanthera conspicua show a
fewer-flowered raceme, a lip that is narrowed
to a distinct isthmus at the base (a critical
character), and that the lip projects forward. All
three of these characters are also present in P.
integrilabia but not in P. blephariglottis.
Granted, the few-flowered raceme is certainly
variable, but where both P. blephariglottis and
P. conspicua occur sympatrically the number of
flowers is noticeable. Flowering time is also
somewhat different in these areas, with P.
conspicua being considerably later than P.
blephariglottis.

6
 The primary range for Platanthera
blephariglottis is from the cold bogs of
Newfoundland westward to Michigan (with a
disjunct site in Illinois) and south to South
Carolina with scattered outliers in the central
Georgia Piedmont and inland Coastal Plain.
Platanthera conspicua is confined to the
Coastal Plain from North Carolina south
throughout much of central Florida and west to
southeastern Louisiana, with a historical record
for eastern Texas. At no time does P. conspicua
enter the Piedmont or mountain areas of the
states within which it grows.
This concept of species pairs is well
documented in North America within the
genera Platanthera and Habenaria. Some such
examples are Platanthera leucophaea and P.
praeclara (Sheviak & Bowles, 1986), P.
orbiculata and P. macrophylla (Reddoch &
Reddoch, 1993), P. psycodes and P.
grandiflora (Stoutamire, 1974), and Habenaria
quinqueseta and H. macroceratitis (Brown,
2000). Other such examples occur throughout
the range of the genera. In each case the species
are well defined by morphology, habitat, range,
pollinators, and, to a lesser extent, flowering
times.

7
 Platanthera conspicua
southern white fringed orchis

8
.

Platanthera blephariglottis
nothern white fringed orchis

Platanthera blepharig
 Range of Platanthera conspicua

Range of Platanthera blephariglottis

10
 TWO NEW HYBRIDS COMBINATIONS

Two hybrid combinations that occur with

Platanthera blephariglottis: Platanthera
xcanbyi (Ames) Luer (P. blephariglottis x P.
cristata), published as Habenaria xcanbyi in
Rhodora 10:70, 1908 with the type from
Lewes, Delaware and Platanthera xbicolor
(Rafinesque) Luer (P. blephariglottis x P.
ciliaris) published as Blephariglottis bicolor in
Flora Telluriana 2:39. 1836, type from 'New
Jersey'. The geographic data would indicate
that the parent listed as P. blephariglottis is
correct. Similar combinations occur also occur
with P. conspicua as a parent and therefore
necessitate the publication of two new
nothospecies.

In both of these hybrid combinations the

distinctive lip shape of Platanthera conspicua
is evident, whereas in P. xcanbyi and P.
xbicolor the lip shape of P. blephariglottis is
evident. Both nothospecies tend to occupy
damp pine flatwoods and moist, open
roadsides. The color of the flowers in both
varies from pale yellow to buff to nearly a
coffee color and in a few instances a truly
bicolored flower with the lip pale or white and

11
the petals and sepals shades of orange or
yellow.

Whereas the type of Habenaria xcanbyi

is from Delaware, and Platanthera conspicua is
not known from that far north, and P.
blephariglottis is frequently seen in that region,
there can be no doubt that the parents are as
listed. Hybrids of P. conspicua and P. cristata,
from the southeastern coastal plain therefore
require a new name for the hybrid combination.

Platanthera xbeckneri P.M. Brown

nothospecies nova
Planta inter Platanthera conspicua
(Nash) P.M. Brown et Platanthera cristata
(Michaux) Lindley, intermedia in habitu et
colore florum; floribus plerumque luteolum; vel
proprietatibus specierum mixtis.

Plant intermediate between Platanthera

conspicua (Nash) P.M. Brown and Platanthera
cristata (Michaux) Lindley in habit and floral
color; flowers commonly pale yellow, with the
features of the species intermixed.

TYPE: UNITED STATES. Florida;

Columbia County. US90, 6 miles east of Lake
City, 30 July 1967. J. Beckner 1895 (holotype

12
FLAS 99458). NANOJ 8:70. 2002. Color Plate
2.

ETYMOLOGY: named in honor of John

Beckner, Florida orchidist

As in the previous combination, the type

of Platanthera xbicolor is northern (New
Jersey) and P. blephariglottis is abundant in
many areas. Unfortunately several publications
have occurred regarding this hybrid, and all of
them actually involve P. conspicua rather than
P. blephariglottis. In April 1968 Carlyle Luer
published Habenaria xschweinfurthii unaware
that both the specific name had previously been
used by Reichenbach f. and that a previous
name, Blephariglottis xbicolor Rafinesque, had
been published. Luer also failed to include a
location for the type, which, if the specific
name schweinfurthii were available, would
have rendered it invalid. In June of 1968 John
Beckner meticulously pointed these problems
out and then proceeded to make a new
combination and status for the plants as
Habenaria xbicolor (Raf.) Beckner.

With the restoration of Platanthera

conspicua to species level the epithet xbicolor
cannot be used as it applies to those plants with

13
P. blephariglottis as a parent. Therefore a new
name is need for this hybrid combination.

Platanthera xlueri P.M. Brown notho-

species nova
Planta inter Platanthera conspicua
(Nash) P.M. Brown et Platanthera ciliaris
(Linnaeus) Lindley, intermedia in habitu et
colore florum; floribus plerumque bulbulinum
vel luteolum; vel proprietatibus specierum
mixtis.

Plant intermediate between Platanthera

conspicua (Nash) P.M. Brown and Platanthera
ciliaris (Linnaeus) Lindley in habit and floral
color; flowers commonly buff or pale yellow,
with the features of the species intermixed.

Type: UNITED STATES: Florida,

Nassau County. 8 September 1966. J. Beckner
1553 (holotype: FLAS 103702). Photos: Luer,
American Orchid Society Bulletin 34(4): 324
April 1968; Native Orchids of Florida, 1974,
page 140, plate 39:6. NANOJ 8:70. 2002. Color
plate 2.

ETYMOLOGY: named in honor of

Carlyle A. Luer, M.D., eminent orchidist, who
so well documented this hybrid in his 1968
publication.

14
 Additional specimen examined: Florida:
Bradford County. 2 miles northwest of Brooker
on SR18, S1, T17S, R19E. A.A. Will s.n. 12
August 1961. FLAS 81551. Annotated: Large
colony of plants that range in color from a
creamy yellow to bright orange; growing in
roadside ditch in moist flatwoods
Literature Cited:
Ames, O. Notes on Habenaria. Rhodora 10:70. 1908.
Beckner, J. 1968. The correct name of a natural hybrid
in Habenaria. American Orchid Society Bulletin 36(6):
480-482.
Bentley, S. 2000. Native Orchids of the Southern
Appalachians. pp. 152-53.
Brown, P.M. 1997. Wild Orchids of the Northeastern
United States. pp. 134-35.
-----. 2000. Recent taxonomic and distributional notes
from Florida 7. The genus Habenaria. NANOJ 6: 148-
158.
Lindley, 1835, Genera and Species of Orchidaceous
Plants, 291.
Luer, C.A. 1968. A natural hybrid in Habenaria.
American Orchid Society Bulletin 34(4): 323-24; color
plate 304.
-----. 1972. Native Orchids of Florida, p. 141, plate
39:6.
Nash, 1896. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 23:
100.
Reddoch, A.H. & J.M. Reddoch. 1993. The species pair
Platanthera orbiculata and P. macrophylla. Lindleyana
8:171-187.
Sheviak, C.J. 2002. Orchidaceae in Flora North
America, vol. 26. pp. 567-568.

15
Sheviak, C.J. & M. Bowles. 1986. The prairie fringed
orchids: a pollinator isolated species pair. Rhodora
88:267-90.
Small, J.K. 1903. Flora of the Southeastern U.S. 313,
1329.
Stoutamire, W.P., 1974. Relationships of the purple-
fringed orchids Platanthera psycodes and P.
grandiflora. Brittonia 26:42-58.

16
CORALLORHIZA MACULATA VAR.
MEXICANA IN THE SOUTHWEST?

Ronald A. Coleman

Corallorhiza is a mycotrophic orchid

genus of eleven species that are with one
exception confined to the Americas. The
structure of the rhizome in several species
resembles coral, hence the plants' common
name of coralroot. The residual leaves are mere
sheaths on the flower stem and the plants are
essentially rhizome, stem, and flowers that
appear above ground only to bloom.

Perhaps the best known of the

Corallorhiza is the spotted coralroot, C.
maculata. Corallorhiza maculata is widely
distributed in North America from Canada into
Mexico, and is the most common coralroot, and
probably the most common orchid, in Arizona
and New Mexico. In Arizona and New Mexico
Corallorhiza maculata usually inhabits dry,
open forest, between 5,250 feet and 10,500 feet
elevation. The blooming season stretches
between late May and mid- July.
17
Corallorhiza maculata var. mexicana
Mexican spotted coralroot

18
The common name of spotted coralroot derives
from the white three-lobed lip, which is usually
dotted with few to many reddish or purplish
spots. The sepals and petals are often shades of
brown. However, the botanical literature is
resplendent with color forms of C. maculata.
Corallorhiza maculata forma immaculata
(Peck) Howell refers to flowers with white
unspotted lips. Corallorhiza maculata forma
flavida (Peck) Farwell, applies to plants of
lemon yellow with yellow flowers except for
pure white unspotted lips. Corallorhiza
maculata forma punicea (Bartlett) Weatherby
& Adams has bright reddish-purple stems with
pure white or brightly spotted lips.
Corallorhiza maculata forma intermedia
Farwell is intermediate in color between C.
maculata forma punicea and C. maculata
forma flavida. All of these color forms are in
Arizona and New Mexico.

In addition to the color forms there are

three varieties of C. maculata as recognized by
Freudenstein (1997) when he revised the genus.
The three varieties can be distinguished by
characteristics of the lip. Corallorhiza maculata
var. maculata has parallel or nearly parallel
sides on the middle lobe of the lip. Both C.
maculata var. occidentalis (Lindley) Ames and
C. maculata var. mexicana (Lindley)

19
Freudenstein have broadly expanded central
lobes of the lip, and are separated by the pattern
of the spots and size of the mentum. Spots on
the western spotted coralroot, C. maculata
var. occidentalis cover all portions of the lip,
while those on the Mexican spotted coralroot,
C. maculata var. mexicana are only near the
lamellae and at the edges of the central and
lateral lobes. The mentum is slightly larger on
C. maculata var. mexicana. Until
Freudenstein’s treatment of the genus, C.
mexicana Lindley was considered a separate
species, but he reduced it to a variety of C.
maculata.

There is some doubt whether

Corallorhiza maculata var. mexicana is in the
United States. Freudenstein (1997) said
regarding C. maculata var. mexicana that
"Some populations from New Mexico and
Colorado tend to intergrade into these features,
but the Mexican plants are surprisingly
uniform." With much delight in 1998 I studied
a colony of C. maculata var. mexicana that
appears in every respect to match the
description given by Freudenstein. The colony
is in the Santa Catalina Mountains just north of
Tucson and is one of the closest colonies of C.
maculata to the Mexican border. The color
markings on the lip are consistent year to year.

20
Additional study of this colony is necessary
before it can be stated conclusively that C.
maculata var. mexicana is in the United States
since Freudenstein shows C. maculata var.
mexicana far south in Mexico. However the
consistent color markings and proximity to the
Mexican border suggest this colony merits
further study.

Literature Cited:

Freudenstein, J. V. 1997. A Monograph of Corallorhiza

(Orchidaceae). Harvard Papers in Botany. 10: 5-52.

Ron Coleman, 11520 Calle Del Valle, Tucson, AZ

85749
Ron is the author of Wild Orchids of Arizona
and New Mexico and Wild Orchids of California. He is
a frequent contributor to several orchid publications.

21
 DID YOU EVER? WONDERS AND
BLUNDERS

The Slow Empiricist

Have you ever gone out wild orchid

hunting wanting to find the illusive little devils
so much that your heart leaps at a suspected
sighting up ahead only to be dashed when you
come up to the plant and find you have been
mistaken? Well I have and I always feel a little
foolish when I make such a mistake. I also feel
a certain amount of disappointment with myself
for falling for such an obvious fooler when I
get close enough to see my error.

There are other times when I have

misidentified a plant and think I have found
such and such an orchid only to later discover it
wasn't that particular species but a close
relative. Yellow lady's-slippers, Cypripedium
parviflorum, are a good plant to point out in
this regard. The large yellow lady's-slipper, C.
parviflorum var. pubescens, is often incorrectly
identified as the small yellow lady's-slipper,
22
Cypripedium parviflorum var.
makasin
northern small yellow lady's-
slipper

Cypripedium parviflorum var.

pubescens
large yellow lady's-slipper

23
C. parviflorum var. parviflorum and var.
makasin. I certainly have trouble unless you
can find the two growing side-by-side in the
woodland. That doesn't happen often enough
for me to be really sure when I sight these
species growing alone in the wild.

To see the differences takes a sure

knowledge of the plants. This is where previous
study of field guides pays dividends. If you are
a lazy sort, I suggest you take along an expert
who can point out which species you are
looking at when you encounter it in the wild.
As an amateur who enjoys all the other
experiences when trekking after orchids, I find
this last approach is ideal for me. Then I can
marvel at the scenery and inspect other plants
and wild life without having to be bound by the
need to identify particular orchids.

Once in a while, however, I discover an

orchid that the expert missed as he or she
passed it by in the singular purpose of finding
said plant and I with my ever-darting eye
picked up on in my wide flung searches and
eclectic viewing. Then I have a superior feeling
of wonder that I caught something my mentor
missed. You must be careful to know your
companion's level of tolerance for ribbing if

24
you are inclined to crow about your discovery.
Some folks take their abilities very seriously!

Then sometimes I fall for the need to find

an orchid so much that I halt an expedition with
a suspected sighting only to go back to the spot
and discover it was some rank fooler that
caught my desperate eye. Then I feel foolish for
having stopped the journey and delayed the
pleasure of finding the orchids even more. This
is especially true if my companion and I are
searching for roadside plants driving along
sometimes at 60 miles per hour. I can claim that
the speed made my misidentification but I still
feel a certain amount of chagrin at having
caused the retracing of our steps in vain.

I find that when we are scouting for the

various species of ladies'-tresses, Spiranthes,
that love to grow along roadsides, I am most
often prone to making an error in sightings.
They are so small and delicate in most
instances that they are very hard to see. There
are many plants that mimic the Spiranthes look
including grasses (when the spike is out of
flower) and plants that have white flowering
spikes like colic root, Aletris farinosa.

Then sometimes I have had great success

when I thought I saw something unusual. My

25
cry of "I think I saw ….," is very effective in
halting the car on its forward pace when I think
I have sighted something rare. As we back up
to see what I had spied and we indeed find that
I have found something special, I am rewarded
with great feelings of accomplishment. This has
happened enough to make me eager to continue
our expeditions.

I, at least, have never found enough

orchids not to feel a thrill when I sight another
one. I think this is what keeps most enthusiasts
out there hunting. It is encouraging to find there
are young people growing up with a thirst for
wild orchids. These amazing youngsters are out
in the wilds scouting for plants and when not
actively searching they are devoting time and
energy to learning about the plants from their
elders in the field and from the literature that is
available to them.

In closing, I would encourage you to

have as much fun in the field as you can. Open
your eyes to the greater experience and look up
once in a while to take in the entire scope of
your surroundings. Don't always be bent to that
task of only finding a particular orchid. There
may be some hidden treasures awaiting you if
you are open to that possibility. Secondly, don't
let your feelings of inadequacy keep you from

26
halting an expedition if you think you have
something special. Even if it turns out to wrong
you will have learned something. Even the
experts have been fooled and feel foolish at
their mistake. Lastly, take a page from the
youngsters and apply as much energy to your
quests as you can spare and you should be
richly rewarded.

Bon appetite in your orchid adventures!

Your Slow Empiricist

27
 LOOKING FORWARD

2003

Wild Orchids of Nevada

Orchid Paintings of Stan Folsom

Understanding Platanthera chapmanii

A Hidden Orchid Flora of

New Hampshire

28
 Don’t Miss

Volume 26
Flora of North America
North of Mexico

Lilieales and Orchidales

with the entire

Orchidaceae

for the region

Available from
Oxford University Press

or on line at

http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx
?flora_id=1&taxon_id=10638

29
TWO NEW COLOR FORMS FROM
THE MIDWESTERN UNITED
STATES

Paul Martin Brown

The following two new color forms have

been brought to my attention by Bill Summers,
author of Missouri Orchids. They are both
distinctive enough to warrant names.

Platanthera peramoena forma doddsiae P.M.

Brown forma nova.
Forma floribus albus conspeciebus diversa.
Differing from the species in having pure white
flowers
Type: United States: Missouri: Butler County.
Kirby Turner's property about 4 miles
west/southwest of Popular Bluff. Moist, shady
woods along small creek at head of lake cove.
July 4, 1991. (Holotype: photo (Bill Summers).
NANOJ 8: 71, plate 3. 2002.)
Etymology: Named for Carol Dodds,
discoverer of the original plant.
One flowering plant was observed.
Despite widespread, and often large,
populations of this species in the central states
this is the first report of a white-flowered form
and was mentioned in Summers book, Missouri
Orchids (3rd ed. 1996), p. 48.
30
Cypripedium kentuckiense forma summersii
P.M. Brown forma nova
Forma floribus concolor pallidus luteus-viridis
conspeciebus diversa.
Differing from the species in having pale
yellow-green concolorous flowers

Type: United States: Arkansas, Garland

County. 27 April 1991. Ouachita National
Forest, west of Crystal Springs, Garland on
Hwy 270, then FR 50 to Caney Creek.
(Holotype: photo (Bill Summers). NANOJ
8:71, plate 3. 2002.)
Etymology: Named for Bill Summers, who first
found the plants.
Scattered population of regular
Cypripeduim kentuckiense in shaded woods
occurred along the creek. Farther down the road
near Crystal Springs Campground, and along
Walnut Creek, are more Kentucky lady-
slippers. This form is found along Walnut
Creek in shady, swampy woods. The color is
pale yellow-green through all petals and sepals,
without any other color present, including the
lip. Two colonies were observed. Plants were
associated with, umbrella magnolia, Magnolia
tripetala. Carol Dodds was with Summers
when he found this form.

31
 RESURRECTION OF THE GENUS
GYMNADENIOPSIS RYDBERG
Paul Martin Brown

The genus Habenaria has historically

contained several groups of species that have
been treated in various segregate genera. This
has evolved from either the merging of species
into Habenaria or the segregation of those
species into additional genera. Most notable
would be Platanthera and Piperia. Lesser
genera would be Pseudorchis, Coeloglossum,
and Gymnadenia. These generic concepts are
well received today and are used in most recent
treatments.
Generic concepts such as Limnorchis,
Blephariglottis, and Gymnadeniopsis have not
been universally accepted, although the species
included within those genera seemed well
defined. Species definition is not really the
case in this situation as those species that fall
within Limnorchis and Blephariglottis form
natural groups. But, the generic concepts of
Limorchis and Blephariglottis appear to fall
well within the generic concepts of
32
Platanthera, and therefore these two genera
have not been embraced.

Gymnadeniopsis present a very different

situation. Rydberg created the genus in 1901 to
accommodate three species of Habenaria that
all had distinctive characters that appeared to
be exceptions to the generic limitations of
Habenaria. These included the somewhat
tuberous roots (found in Habenaria but not in
Platanthera) and the appendages on the beak of
the stigma. These appendages appear to be
unique among the species traditionally included
in Habenaria.

Three species of North America orchids

fall within the concept of Gymnadeniopsis:
integra, nivea and clavellata. The first two are
restricted to the southeastern United States
while the latter is widespread from
Newfoundland to northern Florida and west
beyond the Mississippi River. The floral
morphology of these three species is distinct
among themselves and also from any other
species within that of Habenaria/Platanthera.
But within the concept of Gymnadeniopsis
there are two arrangements. The two
southeastern species, Gymnadeniopsis nivea
and G. integra both have two appendages on
the beak of the stigma, the lips with an entire to

33
erose margin and slender spurs, whereas G.
clavellata has three appendages and the lip is
shallowly three-toothed and the spur thickened
or clavate.

Because of the unclear position of these

three species Wunderlin et al., included nivea
in the genus Habenaria, while using
Platanthera for integra and clavellata. Sheviak
(2002) in his generic treatment of Platanthera
in the Flora of North America allows these
three species to fall naturally together at the end
of the treatment and states " The column of
Platanthera nivea is similar to that of P. clavellata and
P. integra and unlike that of other Platanthera species.
The columns of these three species bear two pairs of
appendages. In P. nivea, on either side of the column
and flanking the anther sacs, a cushion-like flap
simulates a pollinium; below these structures, elongated
slender processes parallel the basal margins of the lip,
similar to the situation in Habenaria. Together with its
non-resupinate flower and perhaps elongate-spheroidal
tuberoids, these characteristics suggest that this species
should not be included in Platanthera. ……In common
with Platanthera nivea and P. integra, the column of P.
clavellata bears a series of lateral projections that are
directed forward; the upper pair is elaborately adorned
and may be glandular. It appears that this species is
inappropriately placed in Platanthera. …As in
Platanthera clavellata and P. nivea, the column of P.
integra bears two pairs of lateral processes. In P.
integra, the distal structures are essentially sessile and
cushionlike, as in P. nivea, but the proximal are short,

34
stout, club-like, and bear several stout horns. The
tuberoids of P. integra are abruptly swollen into
oblong-cylinders, somewhat like those of P. nivea.
These three species evidently form a group apart from
Platanthera."

The only author in the latter half of the

th
20 century to embrace Gymnadeniopsis was
W.J. Schrenk in his “Compilation of the
Orchids species of the United States and the
Virgin Islands” (Die Orchidee 28:98-
104.1977). Because Rydberg made new
combinations for Habenaria integra, nivea and
clavellata no new combinations were needed.
Schrenk made the new combination for
Gymnadeniopsis clavellata var. ophio-
glossoides when he published his checklist. No
new combinations are needed at this time.

Gymnadeniopsis Rydberg
Britton, Man. Fl. N. U.S. 293. 1901.

Gymnadeniopsis clavellata (Michxaux)

Rydberg
Britton, Man. Fl. N. U.S. 293. 1901.
Synonyms:
Orchis clavellata Michaux
Fl. Bor.Am. 2:155. 1803.
Habenaria clavellata (Michxaux) Sprengel
Sys. Veg. 3:689. 1826.
Platanthera clavellata (Michxaux) Luer
35
Nat. Orchids of Fl. 148. 1972.

Gymnadeniopsis clavellata var.

ophioglossoides (Fernald) W.J.Schrenk
Die Orchidee 28(2): 69. 1977.
Synonyms:
Habenaria clavellata var. ophioglossoides
Fernald Rhodora 48: 161. 1945.
Platanthera clavellata var. ophioglossoides
(Fernald) P.M. Brown
Wild Flower Notes 3(1): 21. 1988.

Gymnadeniopsis integra (Nuttall) Rydberg

Britton, Man. Fl. N. U.S. 293.
Synonyms:
Orchis integra Nuttall
Gen. N. Am. Pl. 2: 188. 1818.
Habenaria integra (Nuttall) Sprengel
Sys. Veg. 3:689. 1826.
Platanthera integra (Nuttall) Gray ex Beck
Bot. U.S. ed. 2 348. 1848.

Gymnadeniopsis nivea (Nuttall) Rydberg

Britton, Man. Fl. N. U.S. 293.
Synonyms:
Orchis nivea Nuttall
Gen. N. Am. Pl. 2: 188. 1818.
Habenaria nivea (Nuttall) Sprengel
Sys. Veg. 3: 689. 1826.
Platanthera nivea (Nuttall) Luer

36
Nat. Orchids of Fl. 146. 1972.

In 1983 Fred Case described a rare

hybrid between Platanthera clavellata var.
ophioglossoides and P. blephariglottis as P.
xvossii. With the reinstatement of the genus
Gymnadeniopsis a new nothogenus and
combination is needed. The following is
proposed.
xPlatanthopsis P.M. Brown
Platanthera Lindley x Gymnadeniopsis Ryd-
berg
Subsequently a new combination is needed to
accommodate Platanthera xvossii.
xPlatanthopsis vossii (Case) P.M. Brown
comb. nov.
Basionym: Platanthera xvossii Case
Michigan Botanist 22: 141-144. 1983.

37
Gymnadeniopsis clavellata G. clavellata
var. clavellata var. ophioglossoides
little club-spur orchis northern club spur orchis

38
 Gymnadeniopsis integra and G. nivea
yellow fringeless orchis snowy orchis

39
ORCHIDS OF NORTHERN MAINE
by
Olof O. Nylander

This facsimile printing of Nylander's very rare

work on Aroostook, County, Maine orchids is the result
of locating a few copies in the dusty basements of
libraries and historical societies in northern Maine. The
hand-written annotations are those of Nylander on what
was his personal copy. Because they are faint and did
not reproduce well I have transcribed them as best I
can. They cover many years of additional work.
Nylander was a prodigous naturalist and prolific writer
on the natural history of northern Maine. Many thanks
go to the late Martin and Pearl Rasmussen of Caribou,
Maine, who assisted me in locating Nylander's personal
copy. They were privileged to live for many years in
what had been Nylander's home in Woodland. I, as
were many others over the years, was taken to some of
the Nylander sites by Martin. Unfortunately, the black
and white photos are only of fair quality, but it will give
the reader a feel for what Nylander was documenting.
This work has been published under two
different names. Our Northern Orchids (note this name
at the beginning of the species accounts) was the
original name and published by the Star-Herald
Publishing Co. (newspaper) in Presque Isle, Maine in
1935. Shortly thereafter it was reprinted in pamphlet
format which was sponsored by various civic clubs and
retitled it Orchids of Northern Maine. .PMB

40
 Annotations by O.O. Nylander
Number correspond to species account. The
original publication has no page numbers.
3. few in flower for just weeks in June 1938
4. many in flower in May 1938
6. two were very dark purple colored flowers
coll(ected) June 8, 1938 in Limestone bog
17. coll(ected) July 7, 1940
24. Grindstone on Presque Isle stream July 24,
1939, several fine plants
following 31. Ibidium lucidum H.H. Eaton was
collected near the Aroostook River 1935
45. C. maculata var. albida Peck was collected
on Omogo jou Mt. Near Presque Isle, Maine July 3,
1935 OON

The original publication did not have page numbers.

The two blank pages are part of the original pagination.

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65
 RECENT PUBLICATIONS
CONCERNING NORTH AMERICAN
ORCHIDS

Three major orchid publishing events

have occurred in 2002 of interest to North
American native orchid enthusiasts.

In January, from the University Press of

Florida, Wild Orchids of Florida by Paul
Martin Brown with drawings by Stan Folsom;
in March from Cornell University Press, Wild
Orchids of Arizona and New Mexico by Ron
Coleman; and in December the long-awaited
volume 26 of Flora North America that
contains the Orchidaceae with treatments of the
various genera by a variety of orchid specialists
including Chuck Sheviak, Paul Catling, Paul
Martin Brown, Larry Magrath, Ron Coleman,
Roger Hammer, and many others.

The following information gives details

of each book and ordering information. Books
may be ordered directly form the publishers,
through most booksellers, and in some cases
directly from the authors if you wish signed
copies.

66
Wild Orchids of Florida
University Press of Florida
ISBN 0-8130-2439-0
409 pages Flexi-bind-$24.95, cloth- $50.00
Over 400 color photographs and drawings of
118 species and varieties found throughout
Florida; synonyms, recent literature citations,
distribution maps, and extensive additional
material.
1-800-226-3822
hhtp://www.upf.com
author email: naorchid@aol.com

The Wild Orchids of Arizona and New Mexico

Cornell University Press
ISBN 0-8014-3950-7
248 pages cloth-$39.95
32 pages of annotated color photographs and
detailed descriptions, and natural history of 35
species and varieties.
1-607-277-2211
http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/
author: ronorchid@cox.net

Flora North America, volume 26

Oxford University Press
ISBN 0-19-515208-5
723 pages, cloth-$120.00
The Orchidaceae is pages 490-651. In addition
to the technical keys and descriptions, each

67
 species is accompanied by a small map
showing the general distribution and line
drawings of selected species. Also includes an
exhaustive Literature Cited and index.
http://www.oup-usa.org/
1-800-445-9714
COMING FROM THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
OF FLORIDA IN MARCH 2003

THE WILD ORCHIDS OF NORTH AMERICA,

NORTH OF MEXICO
by Paul Martin Brown with drawings by Stan Folsom
247 pages, 295 color photos, 247 drawings, appendix,
glossary, checklist, bibliography, index; durable
flexibinding
ISBN 0-8130-2571-0 cloth $49.95
ISBN 0-8130-2572-9 Flexibind $27.95
68
Plate. 1: top: Platanthera conspicua;
bottom: Platanthera blephariglottis

69
Pl.ate 2: top-Platanthera xlueri;
bottom-Platanthera xbeckneri

70
Plate 3: top-Cypripedium kentuckiense forma
summersi; bottom-Platanthera xdoddsiae
photos by Bill Summers

71
Plate 4: top left-Corallorhiza maculata var. mexicana
photo by Ron Coleman; top right: Gymnadeniopsis
clavellata; bottom-G. integra; G. nivea.

72